If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed in the morning, maybe this story will offer you a different way to begin your day.

Here’s the story:

My dad had a word that he repeated thousands of times in his life: overwhelming.

Dad loved the word and used it regularly.

When most of us say the word overwhelming, we use it to describe times when we are burdened by the too-much-ness of life.

I’ve felt that kind of overwhelm in times of great stress and weariness. You too?

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed in the morning—before your feet even hit the floor—you’re not alone.

But Dad tended to use that word (overwhelming) for the best things in life—the most beautiful, most rapturous things in life. He’d use it to describe a perfect ribeye, a fun time with family, or a beautiful sunset. Even something as simple as a Dairy Queen Snickers Blizzard would receive the honor of “overwhelming,” due to Dad’s apparent belief in its culinary genius.

“It’s overwhelming!” he would say.

Why You Feel Overwhelmed in the Morning

Modern usage of the word overwhelming leans heavily toward the negative: being overwhelmed by how hard life can be.

That kind of overwhelm often shows up before our feet even hit the floor in the morning.

Our minds start racing when we think about:

• everything we have to do today
• everything we didn’t finish yesterday
• everything that could go wrong tomorrow

I’ve felt it too.

But what if I told you that it’s possible to be overwhelmed… in a good way?

A Different Kind of Overwhelm

When you dwell on the “good overwhelm” that God places in your life, it changes things.

Dad was proof.

He practiced “good overwhelm” his whole earthly life, even when he was at the very end of it.

One afternoon, six days before he passed away, I sat beside Dad on his bed. He was staring off into a corner of the room. Then a small ribbon of words spilled out … words he had said a thousand times before:

“It’s overwhelming.”

I asked him, “Dad, is it overwhelming in a good way, or in a bad way?”

He had every reason to say overwhelming in a bad way. (Life on hospice is no picnic.)

But he responded, simply:

“Overwhelming in a good way.”

Right then, his trademark smile spread all the way up into his eyes, creasing them at the edges. It was as if the sun could rise and set on his countenance.

I don’t know what Dad saw in that moment. But in my way of thinking, my heavenly Father was giving my earthly father, a little taste of heaven. A little sense of what was to come. A little reminder that when life on Earth feels overwhelming in a bad way, God is still overwhelmingly loving, overwhelmingly kind, overwhelmingly holy, and overwhelmingly present—in the best way possible.

A Morning Prayer for When You Feel Overwhelmed

(From Chapter 8 of How to Love Your Morning)

Are you feeling overwhelming this morning? You can pray this right where you are, or come back to it tomorrow morning before your feet hit the floor.

Let’s pray…

A Liturgy for Being Overwhelmed (in a Good Way) at the Start of Day

Lord of peace,

I come to you with a mind that often feels

overwhelmed in a bad way,

a heart that feels unsteady,

and a spirit seeking stillness in the morning.

Today, I choose to release to you the following:

my anxiety when the day ahead looks overwhelming—but not in a good way

the need to control the hours ahead

my tendency to leap into tomorrow’s challenges and replay yesterday’s mistakes

Lord, let me pause to count the ways I am safe today:

my body breathes

my heart beats

my mind finds its way to you.

I am sheltered, seen, and held by your love.

Remind me to be grateful for these precious gifts.

Today, I will not let worry steal the gift of this morning.

Instead, I will anchor myself in this truth:

You are here right now, and you alone hold my future.

Each morning is an opportunity for “good overwhelm”

to flush out the “bad overwhelm.”

Overwhelm me, O Lord, with your faithfulness,

your goodness, and your nearness.

Overwhelm me, God, in the best way possible.

Amen.

Start Your Morning Differently

If you’re longing for more mornings that feel like this—anchored, steady, even in the middle of real life—How to Love Your Morning was written for you. The words in this post are included in Chapter 8.

Inside the book, you’ll find simple, meaningful ways to meet God in the first moments of your day, along with practical rhythms you can return to again and again.

You can learn more or order your copy by clicking here.